Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr., popularly known as Richard Pryor, was an American standup comedian and actor who died at the age of 65 in 2005.
He was recognized as one of the finest and most influential stand-up comedians of all time because of his ability to connect with a wide audience through his sharp insights and narrative techniques.
Need to learn more about Richard Pryor? Well, you are at the right place. Keep on reading this article to know more about bio, careers, films, awards, and the death of Richard Pryor.
Richard Pryor: Bio
Richard Pryor was born in Illinois on December 1, 1940. Pryor has a successful career on the big screen as a gifted actor and comedian.
He was raised in a brothel run by his abusive grandmother, where his mother was a prostitute. He spent most of his early years in this brothel. Pryor had a very difficult upbringing.
His grandmother was a mean person who would hit him for any odd behavior. He was raised by his grandmother because his mother was a prostitute and an alcoholic.
He was sexually molested at a very young age and was expelled from school at the age of 14.
Richard along with several other furious black soldiers attacked a white soldier during his time in the army, but not fatally. Due to this incident, Richard served most of his youth behind bars.
The background that he grew up with didn’t stop him from building one of the most prosperous stand-up careers.
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Richard Pryor: Career
Richard Pryor relocated to New York in the 1960s, where he started playing in neighborhood clubs alongside Woody Allen. He was inspired to become a middlebrow comedian by Bill Cosby’s comedy. He had a non-controversial approach to humor.
He soon appeared frequently on TV live shows. The comedian had a breakthrough in 1967. He wrote for most TV shows of the 1970s. He was a member of the acting duo with Gene Wilder.
He began appearing in movies after the 1970s. He appeared in several well-known films including The Mack, and The Muppet Movie. During that period, he also released numerous albums of his own. He continued to be a highly demanded stand-up comedian with a huge fan base in the 1980s.
Eddie Murphy and other well-known actors and comedians were among his castmates. In addition, he and Chevy Chase created one of the most well-known skits.
He appeared frequently on the screen. He served as host of the children’s program Pryor’s place and made a guest appearance on the television program Chicago Hope. he showed himself to be highly demanding and disrespectful on the sets.
In his later years, Pryor spends time on a mobility scooter due to multiple sclerosis. He made a brief appearance in David Lynch’s film Lost Highway.
Richard Pryor: Albums And Filmography
As we mentioned earlier, Richard Pryor has released various comedy albums and has appeared in several movies and TV shows. Here, we have listed a few of Pryor’s albums, films, and Tv Shows. Let’s see the popular works of Pryor.
Albums
- Richard Pryor (1968)
- Craps (After Hours)
- That Nigger’s Crazy (1974)
- …Is It Something I Said? (1975)
- Bicentennial Nigger (1976)
- The Wizard of Comedy (1978)
- Wanted: Live in Concert (1978)
- Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982)
- Richard Pryor: Here and Now (1983)
Films
- The Busy Body (1967)
- Wild in the Streets (1968)
- The Phynx (1970)
- Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
- Some Call It Loving (1973)
- Greased Lightning (1977)
- StirCrazy (1980)
- Some Kind of Hero (1982)
- Superman III (1983
- Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling
- See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)
- Harlem Nights (1989)
- Mad Dog Times (1996)
- Lost Highway (1997)
These are only a few of Richard Pryor’s films. He has appeared in more than 25 movies. Lost Highway was the last movie that Pryor acted in.
TV Shows
- The Wild Wild West (1966)
- Saturday Night Live (1975)
- Sesame Street (1975-78)
- The Richard Pryor Show (1977)
- Billy Joel: Keeping the Faith (1984)
- Chicago Hope (1995)
- Malcolm & Eddie (1996)
- The Norm Show (1999)
Richard Pryor: Awards And Recognitions
With his sense of humor, Richard Pryor had made a wide audience into his fans. We can say that Pryor was one of the finest comedians that the international entertainment industry ever witnessed in the last 70 years. This stand-up comedian had been honored with various awards and recognitions. Here are the achievements that Richard Pryor got for his incredible talent as a comedian.
- Emmy Award in 1983 for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program( Nominated)
- 1996 NAACP with Hall of Fame Award and Lifetime Achievement Image Award.
- 1998 Mark Twain Award for American Humor.
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 2006.
- 1975 Writers Guild Award for Original Comedy.
- 1975 BAFTA Film Awards for Best Screenplay (Nominated).
- 1973 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy (Nominated).
Richard Pryor: Personal Life
Richard Pryor came out as bisexual in the 1980s. His closest friends claimed that Richard and Marlon Brando had a sexual relationship. His family denied these rumors.
The comedian battled alcohol and drug addictions. Due to his drinking habit, he faced various issues in his life. He was once pulled over for drunk driving and spent five months in jail. He told this experience of him as a tale in many of his performances.
The actor experienced several health issues as a result of smoking and drinking. He thus experienced his first heart attack at the age of 37. He was later identified as having multiple sclerosis.
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In terms of family and married life, Pryor had seven children from various women. He had five wives and seven marriages. His first marriage was to Patricia in 1960 and they separated the following year. He later got remarried after spending two years with Shelley.
In 1977, he married Deborah McGuire and they parted ways a year later. Eventually, in 1981, he got married to actress and fashion designer Jennifer Lee.
She broke up with him in 1982 due to his drug addiction. They got remarried in 2001 and she is the one who remained by his side until he died in 2005.
Richard Pryor: Death
Due to a third heart attack, the renowned comedian died in December 2005.
According to the pathologist, his death was due to coronary artery disease, which was brought on by years of smoking tobacco. His wife, Jennifer claimed that he had a smile even at the end.
The American comedian and actor, Richard Pryor, had an estimated net worth of $40 million when he died.
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